LINGUIST List 15.1675

Sat May 29 2004

Qs: American English 'l'; Darwin/Child Lang

Editor for this issue: Naomi Fox <foxlinguistlist.org>

We'd like to remind readers that the responses to queries are usually
best posted to the individual asking the question. That individual is
then strongly encouraged to post a summary to the list. This policy was
instituted to help control the huge volume of mail on LINGUIST; so we
would appreciate your cooperating with it whenever it seems appropriate.
In addition to posting a summary, we'd like to remind people that it
is usually a good idea to personally thank those individuals who have
taken the trouble to respond to the query.
To post to LINGUIST, use our convenient web form at
http://linguistlist.org/LL/posttolinguist.html.

Dear List Members,
As a native speaker of British English, I have the impression that an
interdental lateral /l/ is a possible realisation in American English,
perhaps associated with young West Coast females. I would appreciate
hearing from anyone who has any insights and observations, or
published data, on how common this realisation of /l/ is and whether
my impressions are correct. I will post a summary of any responses in
due course.
Many thanks
Mark J. Jones
Department of Linguistics
University of Cambridge, UK
Subject-Language: English; Code: ENG

Dear colleagues,
I am looking for some of Darwin's notes on child language acquisition,
and hope some of you might be able to help me trace such documents.
In 'Mental Evolution in Man: origin of human faculty' (London: Kegan
Paul, Trench and Co. 1888), Georges Romanes mentions notes taken by
Darwin on the linguistic development of one of his grand-children. One
passage describes the child calling a duck 'quack', and then by
association calling water (and then all liquids), insects and birds
the same. Later on, he goes on to designate coins using the same word,
because of an eagle engraved on one.
I would be very grateful if someone had any pointers about where to
find the original text, either as a manuscript of in published form. I
will post of summary of responses.
Yours,
Elodie Vialleton
Besse Senior Scholar
Worcester College
University of Oxford
elodie.vialletonworc.ox.ac.uk